The Attack at Ape Canyon
In 1924, gold miners on Mount St. Helens said huge, hairy 'mountain devils' bombarded their cabin with rocks all night after one of them shot at a creature.
What was reported
In July 1924, five prospectors working a claim on the slopes of Mount St. Helens said they had been seeing large footprints and hearing strange calls. Then one of them, Fred Beck, said he shot at a huge, ape-like creature standing by a canyon.
That night, the men said, a group of the creatures attacked their log cabin, throwing rocks at it and against the walls for hours and pounding on the door. In the morning, the miners fled and told newspapers. The ravine was named Ape Canyon.
Explanations offered
Sceptics suggest pranks by local young men, or falling rocks, and some later said it was a hoax. Fred Beck told the story for the rest of his life, publishing a book in 1967, and it became one of the founding stories of bigfoot lore.
- When
- July 1924
- Where
- Ape Canyon, Mount St. Helens, Washington, USA
- Witnesses
- Five miners, including Fred Beck
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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